MashUphttp://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/ Trawling the WWW, pounding the tech beat and searching Cyberia for nuggets and motherlodes since 2006.en-auCopyright 2009Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:24:01 +1000http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssGoogle and the future of news

Is Google's Marissa Mayer right? Is it really just the emergence of the internet as a disruptive force that is to blame for the pain being experienced by mainstream media around the world?

Or has this been aided and abetted by Google and other aggregators which have appropriated this content, monetised it and taken a big chunk of the profits that would have otherwise ended up in someone else's bank account?

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Do you think Rupert Murodch is on the money with his prediction that the era of free newspaper content on the web is over? And will readers (you) put their hands into their pockets and pay for online news content?]]>
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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/06/10/googleandthe.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/06/10/googleandthe.htmlWed, 10 Jun 2009 23:24:01 +1000Why China blocked Bing

Bad timing. A day after Microsoft begins rolling out Bing, its new Google-killing search engine, the Chinese government blocks it - along with Hotmail, Twitter, YouTube and a swag of other sites.

China tends to get nervous in the lead-up to June 4, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989 when students took on the government in a show of defiance that was broadcast live around the world in one of the first big CNN moments.

When government's - especially autocratic regimes - ban a website it can be seen as a badge of honour. Somehow, I don't think this was premeditated.

If they really wanted to make a statement, maybe they should have used a different background photo so that Bing.com would look something like this:

[Click on image for larger version]

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/06/03/whychinablock.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/06/03/whychinablock.htmlWed, 03 Jun 2009 12:53:17 +1000Tug of war at Google

The annual (?) Google Australia sports day ended up being a sodden affair as the heavens opened up over Sydney today.

We happen to work opposite the new Google Australia HQ. So we couldn't help but notice the drenched Googlers playing ultimate frisbee, relay races, soccer and touch (rugby) on the field outside our windows.

If you ever felt like your privacy has been invaded by a Google satellite or Street View image, here's some payback. (Faces and number plates blurred, of course.)

So tell us what you think. Share your experience. Is it all it's cracked up to be? Has it restored your faith in Microsoft? Are you steeling yourself for all those "hasta la Vista" headlines that are about to descend on us?

Barack Obama presented the Queen with an iPod pre-loaded with 40 songs from popular Broadway productions, including The King and I, West Side Story and Dreamgirls. But if she decided to load up her own tunes, which songs do you think she would choose?

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/04/02/thequeensnew.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/04/02/thequeensnew.htmlThu, 02 Apr 2009 14:05:19 +1000Have you been threatened over social network comments?
The plight of NSW prison officers is the latest example of employees being threatened with the sack for comments published on social networking sites.

With more and more of us moving private conversations we'd have at the pub or a cafe on to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the line between "public" and "private" comment is being blurred.

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Are employment laws forbidding public comment about our bosses keeping up with changes in technology and the pace with which our lives are moving online?

Has your employer threatened you or commenced disciplinary action over comments you've posted on the web?

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/04/02/haveyoubeent.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/04/02/haveyoubeent.htmlThu, 02 Apr 2009 12:16:34 +1000Unemployed using Web 2.0 to get jobs
With the unemployment levels set to rise in the next few months while companies cut back on their hiring, there's going to be more Australians looking for jobs.

The standard job-search route nowadays is to visit an online classifieds job site like mycareer.com.au and seek.com.au, subscribe to its mailing list, and wait for job ads to pop into your email inbox.

But some other job seekers are trying to harness the internet using Web 2.0 tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They want to extend their job search reach and actively promote their skills online.

Are you one of these people? What tools do you use? Have you been successful in getting a job?

Since publishing stories on the issue several readers have said they reported the ads to the social networking site but they continue to appear. Even after my inquiries and stories, the fraudsters are still being permitted to advertise their wares.

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Have you been tricked by one of these scams promoted on Facebook? Is it just a case of buyer beware or does Facebook have a responsibility to be more vigilant.]]>
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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/26/whycantfacebo.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/26/whycantfacebo.htmlThu, 26 Feb 2009 14:06:39 +1000Ripped off by the TimesOnline

The web is a giant echo chamber and sooner or later, somewhere, someone is going to swipe your idea or hijack your hard work.

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We all do it to some extent. It's what makes the way of the web.

What's unforgivable is when a reporter working for a publication that used to be a standard-bearer for journalism sinks to the level of some of the more dodgy bottom-feeding blogs.

Last month I interviewed John Hanke, the director in charge of Google Earth and Google Maps, at the Googleplex in Mountain View. I wrote this up when I returned to work and published the story last Friday morning.

Later, when I looked it up on Google, the first thing to pop-up was Mike Harvey's story in the TimesOnline (that's the Times of London). Although Mike credited The Sydney Morning Herald for the story, he provided no link back and then proceeded to rip off almost all of my quotes.

Of his 720 word story, about 500 were directly lifted or paraphrased from my article.

How could he get away with it (until now)?

My story didn't appear correctly indexed on any relevant Google search until much later because somehow a "Windows newline character" crept in to the headline field in what should have been a standard space separating two words. Basically a rogue character.

If you searched for "google earthboss" (all one word), you'd have found the article. But no one uses that search term and, as a result, the article was not picked up and linked to. But Mike's was.

He said it was not his publication's policy to link back to original articles but said that as a gesture of goodwill, they would do it.

I told him I accepted his apology. However, he made no mention about my central complaint about the amount of material he lifted, nor does he appear to have cut out any from his piece. But that's about as much as I can do. That, I told him, was an ethical matter between him and his editors.

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/05/rippedoffbyt.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/05/rippedoffbyt.htmlThu, 05 Feb 2009 09:47:25 +1000Microsoft banks on erasing Vista fallout
In case you missed the announcement, Microsoft released a beta version of its Windows 7 operating system as a free public download last month.]]>
To make sure it received due attention, Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, used his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to make the event known.

You can't help but get the feeling Microsoft is rather desperate to have someone - anyone - care about its next big release. It has every right to worry. Vista has done untold damage to Microsoft's reputation and, subsequently, its bottom line. If Vista had been any less disastrous, it's unlikely the Redmond software giant would have had to shed 5000 jobs globally.

Now it's stuck with the unenviable task of winning back consumer confidence in its hero product. Even at the best of times that's a tough ask but now that the economy has gone pear-shaped . . . well, let's just say Vista is a renovator's delight.

So it's with a refreshing sigh of relief we find Windows 7 stacks up pretty well so far in the early beta stage. A great deal of effort has gone into addressing most of Vista's shortcomings, including making it run faster.

And despite literally being only half-baked, Windows 7 is shaping up to be a solid offering from the software veteran - quite possibly its best work yet. It looks more slick, runs more smoothly, isn't as intrusive or annoying and doesn't bury features as deeply as Vista.

However, if the global fallout from the economic crisis worsens at the end of the year, when Windows 7 is expected to be released, it may be irrelevant how good the operating system is. Microsoft may well come up with its best Windows ever at the worst possible time.

If you feel up to the task of installing a beta operating system without any official support, Windows 7 is certainly well worth a look. You can grab a copy of it at microsoft.com/windows7. You'll need a Windows Live ID such as a Hotmail account to register for the download. You'll be given an activation key with which to install the operating system. The 2.5GB file you download is a DVD image file, so you'll need the appropriate software and a DVD burner to create the install disc.

In the meantime, you can read all about what to expect in Digital Life.

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/01/microsoftbanks.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2009/02/01/microsoftbanks.htmlSun, 01 Feb 2009 14:08:46 +1000Bush shoe-throwing meme
In internet land, yesterday's news is today's viral web hit, especially when it involves a chance to poke fun at US President George Bush.

Within hours of the now infamous shoe-throwing incident - or "shoegate", as it was inevitably labelled - online hoons began remixing the footage into funny animated images and at least two online games.

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2008/12/16/bushshoethrowi.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/2008/12/16/bushshoethrowi.htmlTue, 16 Dec 2008 15:14:49 +1000Widgets find a home with huggable Chumby
I love widgets. Ever since Mac OS X introduced the Dashboard feature, I've been relying on all manner of widgets to stay updated on everything from the weather to my broadband data usage.]]>
If you haven't come across them yet, widgets are small, generally single-purpose applications that stay on your desktop or pop up on demand.

They're an extremely useful way of viewing at-a-glance type information or performing basic calculations. Widgets are also a standard inclusion in Windows Vista.

Into this landscape arrives the Chumby. It's a cute little display terminal that cycles through a range of widgets on its 8.9-centimetre, colour touch screen - a dedicated widget display, if you will. It looks like a physical manifestation of a widget. It's even covered in soft, padded leather, in case you felt like hugging it. If it had whiskers, you'd probably give it a name and a litter box.

In fact, you do name it. It's part of the set-up process once you've registered on the Chumby website. You can dress it up, too. The covers are removable and there's a little button on the side for hanging charms.

But why on earth would you need one? That's the second question most people ask about the Chumby. The first, of course, is: "What on earth is that sitting on your desk?" Earth features a lot in these meaning-of-life questions. If you have widgets working perfectly well on your computer, why put it in a separate device? I have to admit, I asked the same question.

And after using one for a couple of weeks, my theory is that the Chumby cleverly taps into human behaviour. As people like to have the television on in the background even if they're not watching anything in particular, the Chumby makes us feel connected to the online world with its constant feeds. Windows Vista's widgets can stay on the screen in a side panel for the same effect but you have to be in front of your computer. The Chumby can sit anywhere and also doubles as an alarm clock by streaming internet radio (with surprisingly decent sound from its speakers).

At $300, though, it's not exactly an impulse buy but as you discover more widgets that take your fancy, your attachment is only going to grow.

What's your favourite widget?

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/12/07/widgetsfinda.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/12/07/widgetsfinda.htmlRandom AccessSun, 07 Dec 2008 13:09:44 +1000Last gasp of 2008 still offers some excitement
What a year it has been for technology. From Blu-ray winning the high-definition format war to Google launching Street View on an unsuspecting Australian public, there has been no shortage of pivotal events.]]>
This year will also be remembered for introducing Australians to the Apple queue; first with the Sydney Apple Store launch in June, then with the frenzy surrounding the iPhone 3G launch in July. Not since the release of Windows 98 have Australians seen such diligent single-file camping for the release of a technology product, not to mention organised queueing just to see the insides of a glass-front store.

This is also the year we became familiar with "cloud computing", which describes running applications and storing files on the internet rather than on our computers. Apple's MobileMe service was meant to be cloud computing wrapped in a consumer-friendly shell but the Mac-maker underestimated the difficulties of launching a push email service worldwide. It released this at the same time as the iPhone 3G, which requires activation through the iTunes service, and the subsequent meltdown stopped MobileMe in its tracks.

Apple's been beavering away at it ever since but it's still not the BlackBerry-style push email service it set out to be. At the very least, MobileMe raised awareness of cloud computing and I am looking forward to how online services such as this develop throughout 2009.

All said and done, though, 2008 really belonged to the smartphones. It's a category of products previously reserved for uber-geeks and power business users but the iPhone changed all that. It became obvious that smartphones could be so much more than an elitist business tool - they could be an elitist consumer toy, too. While sending emails and opening office documents may not be terribly exciting, adding third-party applications that turn an iPhone into a lightsabre or virtual glass of beer suddenly made smartphones cool to own.

Then there's the fancy multi-touch interface, which spawned a host of imitators and would-be iPhone killers. Most resorted to a conventional single-touch screen, however, which kind of missed the point.

As far as smartphones are concerned, the year isn't over yet, with more models to come before Christmas. Looks like we're going out with a bang.

What was your favourite tech event in 2008?

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/11/30/lastgaspof20.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/11/30/lastgaspof20.htmlRandom AccessSun, 30 Nov 2008 13:37:39 +1000Don't let the power go to your head
I don't generally talk about power boards unless someone specifically asks me and, so far, no one has.]]>
If someone needs a power board, they pop down to their nearest supermarket, count the number of power points they need and pick one accordingly. Few would think too deeply about it.

I know I didn't but something happened that changed this. After an extended trip overseas, I arrived home to find my energy bill for that period wasn't much less than when we had been home.

I'd like to think my environmentally sound habits and scrupulous use of energy-saving devices was so effective that it was as if as I wasn't there. However, it probably had more to do with the fact I had forgotten to switch off the appliances at the power point. So, I started using a power board that had a switch and turned everything off at night . . . if I could remember to do it.

As our reader letter points out this week, there are products designed to let you use a remote trigger to cut off the power but I've come across something else that suits my purpose perfectly and doesn't require me to remember to switch everything off.

The Crest Earth Smart power board may sound like another me-too, tree-hugging, jump-on-the-environmental-bandwagon tech product but it solves such a basic problem without adding to your remote collection that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it out. It's basically a six-point power board (with surge protection) with one outlet designated as a "master" plug.

The device plugged into the "master" plug controls power fed to the remaining five "slave" connectors. For example, in my test set-up, I've connected the television to the master and the rest of the home entertainment gear to the slaves. When the TV is in standby mode, the power is cut to the slave sockets as if they were switched off at the wall. Turn the TV on and the power board flicks the other plugs on as well. So whenever the TV is in standby, the other equipment is automatically as good as unplugged.

It works by detecting the power draw from the master plug that indicates an appliance has been turned on. Not all devices will draw enough power to make this work but it does have a "knobbing switch" that lets you tune the sensitivity of the trigger. It's not cheap, though, at $249. And this will be the last time I talk about power boards.

What's your power saving tip?

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http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/11/23/dontletthepo.html
http://blogs.watoday.com.au/technology/mashup/randomaccess/2008/11/23/dontletthepo.htmlRandom AccessSun, 23 Nov 2008 14:11:12 +1000X1 marks the spot in smartphone cosmos
Without a doubt, 2008 has been the year of the smartphone. Competition has never been as intense at the top end of the mobile phone market as it was in the months following the launch of the iPhone 3G.]]>
BlackBerry, HTC and Palm have all sought to take on Apple's slick wunderkind with their own interpretations of the touchscreen interface. Then Google entered the (US) market with its own open-source alternative called Android.

However, the excitement is far from over. HTC has more in store but it's Sony Ericsson that has one of the most highly anticipated handsets of the year (apart from the iPhone, of course). It's called the Xperia X1 and I've had decidedly non-tech friends hound me about whether I've had my hands on one and when it's going to be released. Well, now I can answer yes to the first question and mid-December to the second. Why the excitement? Well, Sony Ericsson has been billing the X1 as having the unlikely combination of being a Windows Mobile phone that's actually easy to use. This claim, of course, needs to be backed up by substantial customisation of the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. Although, as we've seen in the case of the HTC Touch Diamond, clever interface improvements alone don't necessarily make Windows Mobile easier to work with. Prettier perhaps but not better.

I'm happy to report that Sony Ericsson has done things differently. Rather than being yet another iPhone-clone, the X1 has made some innovations of its own. Its interface is centred around the concept of "panels", which are kind of like active desktops that display a particular set of information, such as time, weather, calendar, search bar etc. Up to nine panels can be customised for different purposes. For example, you can have one for work that displays your email inbox, calendar appointments, different time zone and links to the Mobile Office applications and one for after hours that's less business-focused.

New panel themes can be downloaded and end users will have the ability to build their own. It's an excellent concept that's a delight to use in practice.

The X1 is the first Windows Mobile-based device from Sony Ericsson and the Xperia brand is one it hopes will stand for a "premium experience" that stands above its regular models. Just think of it as the Lexus of smartphones.